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This hitch is made for big loads and steady handling. With a 20,000-lb gross towing weight rating and a 5,000-lb vertical load limit, it’s got the strength to manage heavy fifth-wheel campers and toy haulers without feeling flimsy. The sturdy steel frame and carbide powder coat finish give it a solid, durable feel that holds up to long hauls and tough use.
The interlocking two-jaw system wraps tight around the king pin for full 360-degree contact. That’s what cuts out the rattle you get from slide-bar hitches and keeps the connection steady mile after mile. The design also makes coupling smoother since the jaws self-align as you back in, so you get less fuss and more confidence when you hook up.
The three-point indicator takes the guesswork out of hitching up. You can see at a glance whether it’s ready to uncouple (red), couple (yellow), or tow (green). Both the handle and the hitch itself show the color indicators clearly, letting you verify your connection before pulling out. And once you uncouple, the handle resets itself to be ready for your next hookup.
When you need extra clearance for slow, tight turns, the built-in S20 slider gives you 12" of front-to-back travel. It moves easily without binding and automatically latches in both directions, so you only need to step out once to switch positions. That extra travel helps prevent contact between the trailer and cab during sharp maneuvers while keeping everything stable and quiet.
When it’s time to clear your bed, this setup breaks down fast. The head comes off with a single pin, so one person can manage removal without special tools. Two built-in zerk fittings make lubrication simple, and the included plastic lube plate helps the king pin glide smoothly into place for the next trip.
Alternate Instructions
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi everyone, Aidan here at etrailer. Today we're gonna be taking a look at and showing you how to install this replacement fifth wheel head for the Curt A20. This is going to be just the head assembly here today. So if you already have a sliding base or the legs for it, and you're looking to replace a broken or damaged head, or maybe you're just adding it to a sliding base, like the S20 we're using today, then this is gonna be the one for you. If you need the full kit, be sure to check out one of those full kits on our website. But as for this replacement head, let's check it out.
This is gonna operate just like your standard A20 fifth wheel head with the 360-degree dual jaw design. It's gonna get full contact around the kingpin here and those jaws are controlled by this lever on the outside of the fifth wheel hitch. We can unpin this handle right here. The pin could be swapped out for a padlock, if we wanna keep it secured when you're not around. Pull the handle out and back to open up those spring loaded jaws, and then we can back up to our fifth wheel.
That will drop into place. The kingpin will slide in. And it'll snap into place and you can see that 360-degree contact. Repin that handle or relock it back up to secure it, and then we're ready to hit the road. Now as we're hooking up, you probably saw a lot of movement in the fifth wheel head here.
Now it's by design. It's got a torsion system built into it, which gives us front to back, side to side, and even diagonal movement, really all around in a 360-degree motion. It can move around and adapt. So what it's gonna do is a number of things. It's gonna help guide the kingpin in so if we're not perfectly backed up to our trailer, this can kind of move and meet the kingpin where it's at to make hookup a lot easier.
But then when we're driving too, that's gonna act as a shock absorber, helping to reduce the hitching and just any of that road shock we're experiencing going down the road, but also limiting noise. To keep things operating smoothly, we've got our Zerk fittings located on the jaws here, so you can apply grease and keep them operating smoothly for a long time. The indicator at the back, visible from the cab of the truck will let us know if we're properly latched and coupled ready to tow. So we right now, we've got it locked in ready to tow. I'm gonna pull the handle out and back. And you can see right now we're in the coupling mode. And as I bring that dummy king pin back in, it's not fully coupled yet. And when it finally snaps in, (wheel head snaps) you can see it's got that green indicator. We can pin it in place and then we're ready to tow. So it's nice that you have that built-in and then it's visible from the cab of the truck. As for your weight capacity here, the fifth wheel itself can handle 20,000 pounds of gross towing weight and 5,000 pounds of your vertical load limit. Be sure to check on if you're using a sliding base like this one that it can handle that weight as well as your truck and go by the lowest rating component in your whole system. All around, you got a very durable steel construction with a carbide powder coat finish on top to help it resist rust and corrosion over time. Now that doesn't make it immune to things like scratches because that can scratch away the finish and cause it to rust and corrode quicker. But your kit does come included with a grease plate here that will slide in between the head of the fifth wheel with your kingpin in the middle here and help reduce that metal and metal contact. Keeping the head of this hopefully looking new for a lot longer and keeping those scratches and scuffs away. If you don't wanna leave this in your truck bed all the time, getting it removed can be a bit of a pain because of how heavy it is, But the head will separate from the main body here with this pin and a very large pin running through the center of everything. That is completely removable so that we can take the head on its own and lift it from the main body. So it's a lot easier to get in and out of the truck bed on your own like this. And if we look a little closer there where the pin runs through, you can see those rubber isolators that help dampen that impact and act as shock absorbers when we're going down the road. Now whether you're upgrading or replacing your existing head, it is going to be a very straightforward installation process. You will need a torque wrench for it, but aside from that everything's pretty straightforward and easy to do straight out of the box. So let's check out that process now. It comes pretty much fully assembled in the box. You will only need to attach the handle to the head, but I chose to also separate the head from the main body here, just to lighten the load a little bit and make it easier to attach. For our application today, we're attaching it to our sliding base here, the S20. So I'm just gonna get it dropped in place. And then, loosely get these bolts installed, line them up through the outer holes at whatever height setting we want, (metal clanging) and then attaching the nuts on the inside. (metal clanging) And at this point, once you've got it set to your proper height, you can tighten it down and torque it to the specifications found in your instructions. (metal clanging) (wrench rattling) If you don't have a torque wrench at home, they are pretty easy to rent, or you can find them here at etrailer. And repeat that process for all your other hardware. And then the head simply drops in place in the center and secures with the large pin feeding in through the back to the front. And then secures in there with this pin and retaining clip at the front. Now you're ready to hook up. And as far as the replacement head for the Curt A20 goes, that's really all there is to it. It's a very simple installation process. It comes with all the hardware you need. So if you already had an A20 fifth wheel hitch and you're just looking to replace a broken or damaged head, this is gonna drop right into place and do that for you. Or maybe you've got the S20 slider like we do here and you've got one of the kits maybe with the A16 and you're looking to upgrade the head to really max out the weight capacity potential of the slider itself. You can do that too. Like you see it is dropped in place Bolt it in with the included hardware and you're good to go. But that'll do it for our look at an installation of this Curt A20 fifth wheel head replacement. Thanks for watching.
Ratings & Reviews
Custom fit brackets made the job fairly easy, even though this was my first time to install a 5th wheel hitch. The installation took several hours, since I took my time and measured several times before drilling.
Did the job. Took me about eight hours to install. Had a little clearance problem with a rivet in the truck frame, so I had to do a little grinding to the bracket. But other than that it was good.
The parts arrived on time and undamaged! Always great customer service and timely delivery.
Great recomendation by etrailer. Works great, positive lock and rides great. Im confident with this product, many thanks.
Not installed yet but very fast shipping
Everything was exactly as described. The only thing that could have been different and better with the product in my application was the single front tab on the side plates could have been double, just like the rear of the plates. Simple, easy installation. Did have to drill the front side plate mounting holes in the truck frame, no factory existing holes present, but no problem. The right side front hole is directly behind the shock tower. Over-all a great product.
Second time I have installed Curt kit. Process is fairly easy and instructions are good. Thanks to etrailer.com for great installation videos and quick shipping.
Curt Custom Fifth Wheel Installation Kit for Ford - Carbide was received very promptly from etrailer.com. The product was a perfect fit and installed very quickly by a trailer and truck company. Thank you for a great product and reliable service.
MY Q16 5TH WHEEL HITCH WORKS WONDERFUL IT IS WAY EASIER THAN THE OTHER TYPES.I GOT RIGHT ON THE MONEY THE 1ST TIME I HOOKED MY 5TH WHEEL.ALSO I BOUGHT THE WIRE HARNESS TO INSTALL IN THE BED OF MY F350 AND IT WAS A BREEZE TO INSTALL.
Put these on my 2006 F250 about a year ago, they have pulled my 10,000 lbs 5th wheel RV like a champ and also a 14,000 lbs skid steer and attachments using the gooseneck adapter like a champ. Only thing that gave out was a tire on the trailer!
Fast shipping need new fith wheel hitch for new truck easy install took 2hrs think you
I'll post back after a 2000 mile haul with the 40 RV. Looks good so far...
Have a great day everyone!
Fast easy and excellent quality
Amazing product fit perfect with no issues whats so ever being that this kit is for a none fifth wheel truck option and was able to easily install with no problems, We have owned it over a year and still looks new and works perfect we tow a 44 feet RV very often with no issue and really recommend this product hands down !!!!!
Arrived fast works well
The hitch has worked very well. It is very sturdy, and I have had no problems. I would recommend this to someone with a short bed for the ability to slide the hitch.
Not too hard to install holes lined up. Had to make the hole in the frame toward the front larger. After measuring the rails perfect hole placement to installed the rails. Took about 4 hours total. Very good help from the customer service at etrailer to match up the item and also save me a few dollars.
First, the is a very heavy duty hitch. I watch the etrailer videos and the installation was simple. No issues at all. Second, I order from Matt who was very helpful an knowledgeable on the product. He said it would be delivered in two days. I laughed but low and be hold it was delivered in two days and the packing was incredible. I Thank you Matt for all you assistance.
Easy to install and works perfectly!
This was an easy install. Very heavy and ready to pull my trailer!
An excellent experience with etrailer.com
Gwendolyn Y.
4/17/2025
The New hitch looks great in your truck, Frank! Have you taken it out for a spin yet?
Gwendolyn Y.
4/18/2025
Cammi, my customer support person was awesome. I told her what I needed and she recommended to perfect hitch. I was impressed with her knowledge of their products and how fast it was delivered. Installation was simple as long as you follow the very well written directions.
Brooke M.
2/5/2025
Cammi is going to love to see this review, Scott. Thanks for taking the time to write it! Ill be sure she gets to see it, and Im so happy to hear installation went off without a hitch! ;) Please let either me of Cammi know if we can help you out with anything else!
Scott
2/2/2026
My hitch is working great still. Easy to use no issues.
I previously owned the Curt A16. We needed a larger tow capacity so we purchased the A20 and decided to buy the S20 slider base as well. Too many sharp turning issues with our 6’8” Chevy standard bed HD3500 during maneuvering. The S20 slider should eliminate this issue. Also I love the design of both the A20 and S20.
Harvey
4/8/2026
This was a great purchase and it’s made backing into tight camping spots so much easier. 100 satisfied with this hitch and slider system!
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Matt
7/9/2026
One year and zero issues after many trips pulling our 43ft toy hauler.